Sunday, December 26, 2010

You know how you get a song stuck in your head? No matter what you do, no matter how hard you try – there it is again, and again, and again, the same tune floating in your head, whistling between your teeth, seeping out under your breath. It would almost be meditative in it’s mantra like quality, if it also wasn’t driving you BATTY!! And, I guess it’s because I am a storyteller, that not only ditties llike “All the Single Ladies” by Beyonce, or the Hawaii Five-O theme song sometimes play in an endless loop in my head, but tales get lodged in my busy little brain as well. Sometimes the folktales that take over my mind are ones I am working on, sometimes they’re ones I’ve heard another teller perform well, and sometimes, like the one that is presently presenting itself 24/7 in my life, they are ones containing a lesson so immediate, so relevant to my personal experience of the moment, they are my best chance of ever expressing my feelings adequately. And that is why, since returning from the impoverished, devastated, but remarkably joyous country of Haiti, the tale of “The Happy Man’s” shirt is almost always on my mind. Basically, it goes like this. A king has a young son, who, no matter what his father, or anyone else does is sad. The king gathers together his top advisors, and they tell him that the only way to cure the prince of his depression is to dress him in the shirt of a happy man. The king, thinking this would be a simple cure, goes first to the home of a pious priest, whom radiates happiness and peace. But when the priest jumps at the king’s offer of money and comfort, the king realizes that the priest isn’t TRULY happy – for if he was, he wouldn’t be so quick to want to change his life. The king journeys to a nearby land, and meets with a sultan, who is known for his joyfulness. “Oh yes, yes!!”, the sultan tells the king. “I am COMPLETLELY content!! I want for nothing, every day is a gift to me, and I would not change one single detail of my life!!” Hearing this, the king’s heart begins to soar – here is the happy man, whose shirt he can use to save his son!! But, just as he is about to ask the sultan for a shirt, the other man leans in and whispers, “There are times, though, where I worry, that all I have will be taken from me, and that fills me with fear.” The King stand to leave, for in this statement of fear, the sultan revealed that he was not totally happy. For weeks, the king wandered the countryside searching endlessly for one completely happy man – but he found none. Exhausted from his travels, the king was making his way back to his kingdom, when he heard singing – joyous, jubilant singing. The king followed the sound to a grove of trees, where there he saw a man radiating happiness as he danced and sang. “My good man,” said the king. “You seem to be happy – the happiest man I’ve ever seen – are you, dear fellow, as happy as you seem?” “Happy??? Happy??” the man replied, between fits of giggles. “Why yes sir, I am COMPLETELY content, I am full of joy. Every day is a marvel to me, I have no worries, and I would change places with no man.” Hearing those words, the king began to dance almost as jubilantly as the man. The two men whirled, and laughed, and sang, until they were breathless. Finally, when the king found his composure, he turned to that happy man, and asked for his shirt. Again, the man began to laugh uncontrollably. “My shirt?? My shirt??” he said, between gales of laughter. “Yes, my friend,” said the king. “Your shirt!” “Oh my,” said the man, smiling broadly. “I’m afraid I cannot do that!” “But why??” And it was then, that that happy man, that completely happy man, opened his jacket, and showed the king, that he had no shirt.

The lesson that joy is within us, and that material things cannot give us happiness, is one that is oft spoken, but is sooooooooooooo difficult to live, but whenever I need a reminder that money can’t buy love, peace, happiness or joy – in short, all the really important things in life, I think of the joyous people of Haiti, how they, like the happy man, have little – except that which is most important – joy. I remember their glowing faces, as they chanted, danced, and laughed with us amidst more destruction, poverty, and filth than I could ever possibly describe to you here. I remember how the parent’s lovingly encouraged their children to play, and most of all I remember how joyous I felt – being of service to my fellow human beings. It was a joy that came from deep within me, proving to me, once and for all what the happy man in that old folktale seemed to instinctively know, that joy is an inside job!!!

Julie's Bio

Julie Pasqual is a storyteller who's performances are infused with physicality and movement from her dance training, comic moments from her work in clowning, a deep love of language from her work as an actress, and a love of world cultures and folktales born from her travels to (so far) 49 of the 50 states, and 12 countries. Using all of her performance skills, and an ever present spirit of playfulness, Julie brings stories to audiences from pre-schoolers to prisoners, and everyone in between in single shows, assemblies, workshops, and residencies. Schools, libraries, festivals, museums, group homes, shelters, detention centers, and even weddings, have been some of her venues. When not telling tales, she can be found performing for Healthy Humor, a program designed to bring joy and fun to hospitalized children and their families, teaching the ancient practice of yoga at several studios, and domestic abuse shelters, and travelling to international schools around the globe as a teaching artist for ISTA (International School Theatre Alliance, as well as sweating as much as she can at her local gym!!!

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Upcoming Performances

Many of my “tellings” are private performances for schools, or part of ongoing residencies I have. The following are some venues where the general public can see me. Hope to see you there!!FEBRUARY 2017:2/4/17: Hempstead Library, NY 2PM2/4/17: Battery Park City, NYC 4:30PM2/25/17: Rahway Library, NJ 2PMAPRIL 2017:4/29/17: CT Storytelling Festival, New London, CT, 9AM, 1:30, 7:30!!MAY 2017:Manasquan Library, NJ 3:15PM

SO, WHERE'S JULIE WHEN SHE'S NOT TELLING TALES??

Well, she might be...performing in hospitals for children and their families for Healthy Humor a program designed to bringing humor and joy to the pediatric patients, or she might be...teaching yoga at Hudson Yoga Project in Hoboken, NJ, Yogamaya, The Bhakti Center, or at homeless and women's shelters in NYC. Or she might be...stilt walking, clowning, or dancing at various events. Or she might be travelling as a teaching artist for ISTA (International School Theatre Alliance)

Julie Live!

What They're Saying about Julie!

Julie Pasqual brings stories to LIFE. She is a storyteller of the first magnitude, with a collection of tales from all over the world. If you have the mistaken impression that children are bored by traditional storytelling, Julie will, with one beat of a drum, dance of her feet, or participatory shout from the audience, dispel your reservations. Julie is a true griot, a tribal teller who carries stories forward so that current generation and generations to come can learn the stories and the art of the teller. I have never had Julie at the library when the audience didn't leave smiling from ear to ear and repeating the rhythms and stories that she has taught them.

From Lisa Herskowitz, Youth Services Librarian, East Northport, Public Library.

"Julie Pasqual is one of the best storytellers we have hosted at our library. Julie is a whirlwind of positive energy who knows how to work a room filled with children of varied ages as well as adults. Her performance, which was the perfect blend of humor, physicality, and poignancy, held everyone's attention. Everyone walked out with a smile! I look forward to inviting Julie back in the near future."

To whom it may concern,

Julie Pasqual is a truly amazing performer! From the minute she steps on stage – even if the stage is a respect commanding school chapel or a huge, undecorated school gym – she holds the audience spellbound. Because Dream On Productions has presented more than 40 performances in Argentina by this excellent storyteller, I was treated to a wide variety of tales. My favorite one is “Unana,” a traditional folktale where the mother goes after an elephant who ate her children, and has to be swallowed along with them in order to rescue them. I also love the story of Death and her godson, a story told in cultures throughout the world. Her stories, her voices, her facial expressions, her stage presence make her performances unforgettable.

The fact that she uses the whole of her body to convey emotions and images that get the idea across makes her unique among the excellent performers we normally schedule, and perfect for our audiences of ESL learners.

Julie is furthermore a joy to work with and makes the entire experience not only a delight for the audience but also for the tour organizers. Just to mention a couple of examples, she was most co-operative trying to resolve an issue with a flight schedule change by the airline, and very patient signing autographs for long lines of school children.

In addition to my own opinion expressed above, we have received much feedback thanking Dream On and Julie, full of positive comments from teachers and children. As director of Dream On Productions, I heartily recommend her storytelling skills and professionalism.